Brown introduces bill to move top teachers into high-need schools

In his announcement, Brown also urged Mayor Vincent Gray to conduct an analysis of waiving Impact evaluations for highly effective teachers who participate in a pilot program, as The Washington Examiner first reported.

“The Highly Effective Teacher Incentive Act of 2011” directs Mayor Vincent Gray to establish a pilot program in four public schools with proficiency rates below 40 percent in both math and reading, and poverty rates of 75 percent or higher (as determined by number of students eligible for free and reduced-price lunch).

“Teachers often hesitate to teach in low-performing schools, because they worry about teaching students whose skills are significantly below grade-level and about challenges with classroom discipline,” said Brown, who has been leading council hearings on the city’s troubled middle schools “But this is exactly why we need experienced, effective teachers in those classrooms — teachers who already have a track record of success.”

To apply for the pilot, DCPS educators must receive “highly effective” ratings on their Impact evaluations. Public charter school teachers also will be eligible under similar standards to be created by the Office of the State Superintendent of Education and charter school board.

Currently, Impact’s top teachers are heavily clustered in the city’s more affluent areas like Ward 3, D.C. Public Schools officials have said. Although teachers in schools with higher poverty rates are eligible for larger bonuses, many critics have contended that it’s too risky for a teacher in Ward 3 to transfer into a more challenging classroom.

At least two of the four schools are required to be middle schools, and teachers selected for the pilot would have to commit for at least three years, lest they sacrifice their incentives.

Those include a bonus of $10,000 — above any Impact bonuses — for each year the teacher remains in the high-need school; homebuyer and other housing assistance; tuition assistance; and income tax credits.

Washington Teachers’ Union President Nathan Saunders met with Brown’s team on Thursday to discuss the legislation. In an interview Thursday, Saunders said these incentives need to be available for highly effective teachers already working in these challenging schools.

“There’s no way in the world that I’m going to stand by and let high-performing teaching already in these communities receive less than they should receive, and I reiterated that issue to Chairman Brown,” Saunders said.

Based on his conversation with Brown, Saunders said he believes the chairman shares that belief. “The people who are there doing a good job should share in the goodies,” Saunders said.